Beguiled
by ghostlygreeneyedgirl
Summary: The twin suns sank dangerously low behind Sarah’s head – the red-orange brilliancy of their dying life twisting Jareth’s heart. How was he to know he’d lose? She had to say them. Just say the words before the sun would set. Or she would die.
1. I : Wonder

_The twin suns sank dangerously low behind Sarah's head–the red-orange brilliancy of their dying life twisting Jareth's heart. How was he to know he'd lose? She had to say them. Just say the words before the sun would set. Or she would die._

_And her obstinate smirk told the Goblin King those words were the last words she would ever say._

* * *

There was a soft chill throughout the Labyrinth. The desert was still just as red, the sand just as orange as it had always been, but the oppressive heat that was normal was somehow lifted for the brief morning sunrise. Jareth watched the luminous sun rise through the crystals he was twirling in his gloved hand, a frown inescapable on his lips.

Ten years. It had been ten years to the day since Sarah had accepted his challenge and–and won. Every day since that day Jareth had watched her through the crystals, glancing her form from the glinting shards of light dancing within them, and longing for her.

He hated her. Hated himself for loving her. Hated the fact that she's ruthlessly rejected him, yet he loved her all the more. He hated that never, not once, had she wished for anything since that day ten years ago.

It hadn't been long after she had left the first time that Jareth had promised himself her second visit to the Labyrinth would be different. All it would take was a single wish, one wish for anything, and he would have his chance. First he would grant her wish, and then he would bring her back here to run the Labyrinth again. And he would win. The terms would be different. They would be even simpler. If Sarah lost she would die. If Sarah won; she wouldn't win. She'd be his before she would win again.

But she hadn't wished. Hadn't wished at all in ten years.

Jareth looked out into the sunrise, his blond hair glittering in the cool breeze of the sweet morning and wondered if Sarah would change fate today.


	2. II : Wish

Work had been awful. Every period of her English classes had restlessly shifted in their seats all day long, as though their bodies knew it was a Friday and couldn't wait to expend all their week-long reserved energy. She tried, hopefully, for the first two hours to be the bright teacher that would inspire them, but after third period when the klutz of gym teacher spilled coffee on her favorite shirt she was over trying to be an inspiration.

The next period the clouds rolled in: sinister, dark, clouds that tamper with the very soul of a Friday. By lunch the lesson plan had changed. Her favorite shirt stained, her sunny Friday ruined, Sarah threw in Romeo and Juliet for her last three classes and didn't really care if they were watching it or not. The last period hit her with a final annoyance for the day. She'd assigned a paper due. She knew half of them would be junk.

Oh, and to get home today? She had to walk. Four blocks to the center of town wasn't bad on a beautiful Friday afternoon. But today, she hadn't even brought I sweater.

Sarah hated the rain in April. It was cold, drenching, and ruined her perfectly good new shoes. Worst of all, her bag was filling with water and she had 32 ten paged essays to read by Tuesday. And it was just her luck Karen would want her to visit for the three day weekend. Why did she like Fridays again?

One block left. She was only one block away from a warm towel, Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina, and a large glass of Kailua and Cream. Rummaging to find her keys in her bag, Sarah realized her phone was waterlogged. Today just couldn't get any better. And just when her keys finally fell into her hands, the pothole she always avoided swallowed her foot up – snapping the red head off her shoe. She warbled, but at least managed to catch herself before she fell in the gutter. The people who were out, in their nice, warm, cars didn't stop to check on her, didn't even seem to notice she was having one of those days where you just can't win.

Sarah mumbled to herself as she turned the final corner and saw the lower door to her apartment building on the main street of her small town. The words quietly rolled off her tongue curt and angry and certainly didn't show she was a lady in any way.

Her keys were icy in her hand, but jingled musically as she twisted them in the lock to open her apartment door. Then snapped in two – one piece lodged in the door knob, the other in her hand. She stood there for just a moment, mouth wide.

In a fit of rage and a little of desperation, Sarah threw her head to the sky, rain blinding her in its down poor, and wailed, "I really just wish I was somewhere else right now!"

She felt a tug on her ankle. An unnatural pull that twisted her heal out.

Instantly cold fear solidified in her chest.

And then she was gone.

If anyone had thought to look for Sarah Williams all they would have found was a piece of her broken apartment key lodged into her doorknob and a small sprinkling of glitter on the front stoop.

* * *

Her hair was sopping wet; her clothes were heavy with water, and the oppressive heat weighed Sarah down like an anvil, but not nearly as heavy as her heart. In front of her was the same image of ten years ago – blazing brilliantly in the red sunlight was the Labyrinth, the castle beyond the Goblin City mocking her in the distance. Her nails dug into her bag's handle, waiting to hear Jareth's voice in her ear. Tense, wet, and still standing awkwardly from her broken shoe, Sarah slowly turned behind her.

Nothing.

No one.

Not even a bird.

Reluctant to admit it, Sarah was not revealed. And as much as she wanted to believe she was dreaming – she'd been knocked out by something and was laying on her front stoop, frozen in the rain – or dead – and this _would_ be her hell – her whole being raced with an electric energy piecing her senses, claiming she was alive. Though it had been ten years, the feeling of the Labyrinth followed through her like she'd never left.

Her heart felt hollow; her eyes filled with tears. "My God," she thought, "I never realized how much I missed this place."

After a few minutes more it became clearly apparent that Jareth was not going to make an appearance. Perhaps he only welcomes guests he's infatuated with, and Sarah was ten years older. He would be the male fickle enough to say she was too old for him now.

The path was overgrown with thorny weeds, but it was the same path Sarah had followed down to the entrance of the Labyrinth long before. She found her way almost blindly to the main door. Hoggle was nowhere to be found. She'd silently hoped her old friend had been waiting for her. The broken stature only stared blankly back at her, alone fairy fluttering around a dead briar bush and the large entrance door creaking in the soft wind sweeping about.

Taking a deep breath, her hands shaking, Sarah pressed on the large imposing door before her inwards and stepped into the Labyrinth once more.

* * *

Jareth let out a sharp sigh when Sarah's foot stepped into the Labyrinth. His heart thundered to life as she continued onward. The further she walked into the outer Labyrinth, the more bound she would be to the silent terms of her entrance. Little did she know she had accepted a challenge she might not survive.

But that was not Jareth's plan. That was the last thing on Jareth's mind.

He would win this time.

He would seduce her.

She would be his the way he had been hers for so painfully long.

Jareth's crystals danced musically in his hand, showing him his only champion, his only defeat. She'd grown. It _had_ been ten years, of course she had changed. And she was even more beautiful. Where she had once been flushed with innocence and childhood wonder, she now emanated an assurance and awareness that did not go unnoticed by the Goblin King's focused eyes. Everything about her called to him in a way unlike before. Even the silly hobble she had.

Perhaps she would be more of a challenge than he'd first thought.

But the rules were set.

* * *

**AN:** New story! While I do have a two week bulid up of posts, unlike my last story this one doesn't have whole sections already written, but I do have a solid, unwavering, outline as well. I know its been a year (goodness so long!) since the last story, but I hope you will join me in this adventure of writting yet again.


	3. III: Want

Sarah entered the Labyrinth and turned left as she had done before. She continued walking, expecting to see a soft shimmer at the edges of some of the stones telling her they were passages forward. As long as she trusted, eventually they would show up.

But the more steps she took the more solid the walls seemed to get. Impatient and fearful, Sarah turned back around and desperately hoped she'd meet the worm she has ten years ago. She knew there must be a passageway straight across from him.

"Mr. Worm?" Sarah called out as she retraced her steps slowly towards the Labyrinth's entrance. "Mr. Worm?"

"Hello miss." A green and purple fuzz-ball called back to her on the top ledge of the wall. The voice was so soft she was surprised she heard it.

"Oh! Hello, I'm looking for Mr. Worm. Blue. Red Scarf?"

"That would be my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great-" The small dandelion-like animal floated down the wall on a gentle wisp of wind to sit at an askew brick level with Sarah's waist.  
"Grandfather?"

"Why yes miss. My, you've been gone a long while if you remember him."

"I was hoping he could tell me the first turn to the castle."

"Oh that was walled up by the Goblin King soon after his defeat. I'm afraid the only turn left down this corridor is one hundred paces in the other direction of the entrance."

"Oh." Sarah's brows frowned as she shifted her weight to her other foot.

"But make sure you don't go left through it."

"Don't go left. Okay. Thank you." Sarah went to walk away and then stopped, "Why shouldn't I go left?"

"It will take you straight to the castle. Not even the young woman who defeated the Goblin King took that way long ago." Sarah stomach lurched.

* * *

The Worm had been right. The opening to the castle was just in the spot he had said, and the rocks were strangely broken down, crumbling at her feet as through the entrance has been blasted out of it.

Her bag was heavy, wet pages of terrible essays weighing her shoulder down, an angry red line marring a pale piece of skin between her shirt and the strap of her bra. Just as she was able to maneuver over some of the more overgrown thorns her foot lost her balance. Before her head could hit the floor, she felt a strong arm wrench her backwards, hitting a broad chest.

"So eager to see me, are we Sarah? I hope you weren't going to go left." His melodic voice hadn't changed at all. Its honeyed amusement wrapped around her like warmth, while his insufferable arrogance cut her to the very base of her. His breathing was even, gentle, almost and as she struggled to free herself from his hold while still remaining upright, she noticed he still wore his black leather gloves.

Unfortunately for her own pride, she was not able to curtly spin around, and Jareth made to catch her again before she impaled herself on a sharp rock. His strong arms barely buckled in surprise and his soft laughter at her clumsiness, as well as his sardonic little smirk burned Sarah cheeks a ruby red.

"Hello Jareth." The Goblin King's finely curved eyebrow shot up incredulously, she had never called him by his name before. Never. Not once. "And I was going left." Although, she was unsteady, Sarah desperately tried to right herself more elegantly than she had flipped in Jareth's arms. It was harder still thanks Jareth's unwavering hands.

"Trying something new?"

"Trying to get this over with, actually."

"What a pity." He'd actually moved closer to her, which was a testament to his vary nimble feet, because Sarah was in the only flat nook at the center of the tumbled down rubble. She moved her soaked bag in front of her.

With a quick and silent wave of his hand, Jareth dried the bag and all its contents, allowing both to stay dry when it pressed against them. "Would you like to hear your terms?" He questioned in his most seductive of voices.

"Aren't you a bit late for that?"

"Element of surprise my dear."

"So I take it, surprise! you have no power over me, isn't going to work this time."

"Now, now, you said that with no feeling little girl." Jareth's lips ghosted over her warm cheeks.

"Get your hand off my ass." That was certainly said with enough feeling. Jareth felt the seething outrage and anger brimming underneath Sarah's surface, just above the shy feeling of arousal. He laughed again and touched his lips to hers.

They were as sweet as he's ever dreamed they would be, softer than silk and twice as yielding and hot. In surprise, Sarah opened her mouth and Jareth took his advantage, licking lightly the rim of her bottom lip and plunging deeper.

Sarah's fingers curled into Jareth's shirt as a deep, forbidden pleasure stole through her whole body. She wasn't sure if her whole body was shaking like the leaf it felt like, or if it was Jareth's body against hers, but she knew that if he pulled away, she would kiss him back.

Which was bad.

So bad. She would kick herself for this later, she knew.

Enjoying a good kiss, a great kiss, between two consenting adults was one thing.

Getting lost in the heady spiral of _this _adult's lips was something totally different.

When Jareth did finally break the burning kiss, which had slowly simmered into an intoxicating and lush exploration of each other's mouths, he so sweetly, so softly, and so lightly left Sarah's lips that, despite herself, a gentle shy escaped the back of her throat.

"Terms now?"

"Save the cheerleader, save the world?"

"-What?"

"Nothing. Yes Jareth, I would like to know the terms you've placed upon me."

"Thirteen hours."

"More than enough time."

"Would you like to make it a challenge?"

Both Jareth and Sarah's eyebrow shot up scrupulously.

"What do I get if I win Goblin King?" Jareth's smile was undeniably breathtaking: handsome and amused, and very, very, malicious all at the same time.

"I would hate for my star to break her ankle." And with a wave of his hand, Sarah's red heals turned into a pair of red flats. Despite her first urge to scream change them back, they were her favorite shoes after all, she kept silent. Ruby-like slippers were far more practical than a broken heal. And if she complained Jareth might remove her shoes all together and then where would she be?

"How very thoughtful."

"Have you been full of thoughts these past years, Sarah?"

"I really haven't thought of you much at all, Jareth." Although amusement remained on the Goblin King's face, a hint of something much darker and haunted touched the irises of his eyes as he moved away from Sarah and her mound of rubbled stone. "If I lose?"

"Just win Sarah." He winked and then he was gone.

So much for terms. So much for prizes. Sarah carefully scrambled out of the rocks to the other side of the wall.

If Jareth _wanted_ Sarah to win maybe she should try loosing.

Somewhere in the distance towards the left Sarah heard the soft ticking of a clock. Before she followed it, Sarah took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and clicked her heals together three times. Upon opening her eyes, she noted nothing had happened, and commented that Jareth was the single worst fairy godmother in fantasy legend.

* * *

**_AN: _**I know this chapter seems a little late, but its much more early than the next chapter. I know that the wrost excuse for not updating is real life, but unfortunately thats my excuse. I moving back for my final year at college and don't have enough of I buffer to post at regular times. I hope you'll be patient with me. Thanks!


	4. IV: Fustration

Sarah pulled her long, dark hair up into a pony, angrily twisting the band around her fingers until her hair was tightly situated. The sun beating down on the labyrinth was burning hot and even though Jareth had dried her bag, her damp bra was still rubbing her ribcage raw and the rest of her clothes humidly stuck to her body. At least the shoes didn't hurt. And even when her foot clumsily stomped right on rock in the way, it didn't impale, it didn't bruise, it just seemed that her foot floated just above them, giving her a steady footing at every step.

It was not less than an hour before Sarah wondered if turning left had somehow meant nothing. The intersection of walls she past looked suspiciously like the ones she has traversed years before. And yet, everything had grown. Weeds for her long ago could look now like small trees and the old vines of the walls now were mossy and green and slightly littered with brightly colored flowers. Sarah paused. The walls, for the first time, to her, didn't look dead, didn't look ignored, they looked beautiful.

So dazzled by the beauty of the wild vines around her and the tall walls towering over her, Sarah didn't realize until it was too late that instead of her shoes balancing her foot on another random piece of rock, they were falling, her feet with them, down into a small black hole in the walk way. She screamed once before her whole body was covered in darkness; and unbeknownst to her, not far off, and slightly to the right, Hoggle heard her and didn't dare believe his ears.

Sarah's scream was swiftly stopped by a large unseen hand covering her mouth. Light, ominous laughter filled her ears. The sound burned with hints of malice and irony as still deeper down laughter bellowed.

"You should look where you're going, little missy."

"Yes. Look where you're going. Feet can be misleading."

Although Sarah was not happy to be caught by the untrustworthy helping hands, she was quite happy that they had held on to her and stopped her from falling.

"Thank you for catching my fall."

"Best not to break the Master's glass."

"Most valuable glass."

"Well, my bones are much more thankful to you."

"You'll be taken very good care of little missy." A voice bellowed from down below.

"What do you mean?"

"Our hands are strong. You will keep well caught in our hands."

"Aren't you going to help me up?"

"Oh no. You'll stay here." A hand ripped her heavy bag off her arm and after failing at getting the flap open, dropped in down into the blackness below her.

"What?!"

"Oh yes, we are very helpful." The hand faces turned sinister looking on her now where they had at first appeared helpful. Sarah has the visceral desire to have their hands never touching her body again.

A heavy "oaf" sound came from down below; her bag must have finally hit the bottom of the pit. She wondered if there was another oubliette waiting for her and her broken legs when she fell down. Her only hope, and she bitterly hated to admit it, was asking for Jareth's help. And that was something she would not do—yet.

Sarah took a deep breath and let out one loud, scream of help. The pit was deep, but the walls where more wide and her voice carried clearly up through the hands, many trying in vain to catch her voice at it flew past them up to the sky. It was again from down below that she heard a reply, "Sarawh?" The voice was muffled and tired, but deep and kind. It was followed by shuffling down below. "Sarah?"

"Ludo?" Sarah gulped hopefully.

"Sarah!" The helping hands around her raised their voices, speaking quickly now and fighting to drown out the voice below. It was the only thought that came into Sarah's head, the only thing she could think of doing that would free her from the hands, "Ludo! Can you call the rocks?" She hoped he could, hoped the rocks would hear him.

A low rumble began under her from deep down and the hands slightly shook all around her, Ludo's voice bellowed up and through the hole hers had cried through.

At first, the pebbles where so small, Sarah almost mistook them for raindrops. That was, until one hit her squarely on the head. Suddenly she realized this could have been a _very_ bad idea. Ludo would be crushed. The larger rocks began to fall, hitting many of the helping hands that had pulled themselves as far away from the wall as they could to look upwards at the open sky. The hands that had a strong grip still tightly pressed their fingers into her skin.

And then the boulders began to fall. The hands let Sarah go and almost thrust her away from them and she tumbled down into the darkness.

Sarah had landed square on Ludo's back and, instead of hurting the stout creature, he merely tumbled over slightly to the left. Luckily, Ludo was able to grab Sarah and get over to a deeper part of the pit, away from the falling boulders. Both sighed in relief as the rocks stopped falling and embraced, so happy to see the other.

* * *

Sarah searched around the rough walls and floor in the darkness of the new oubliette. It had to be like the other one, she just had to find the door.

"How long have you been down here Ludo?" The sweet look in his eyes intensified as he cocked his head in thought. "It's okay Ludo. We'll get out now and find some food."

It took her three tries around the dark walls to find what felt like a door knob, but there were no indentations of a door anywhere. Silently, she could feel the seconds ticking away in Jareth's favor and her frustration began to boil. She knocked hard on the wall by the door and shouted hello as loud as she could. Sarah even tried twisting the knob-like handle, but to no avail. It didn't budge. Her hand swung and squarely smashed into the rock door, Sarah sat down on a rock next to Ludo, looking up to the sky. The hands around the edge were still now, although a laugh or two escaped once in a while and traveled down to her ears.

The silent seconds kept kicking; every one buzzing with an electric intensity that reminded her of Jareth's lips when they had claimed her own. And then they were silent no more. The seconds burst loudly as though they were—they were! They were the door! Someone from the other side was trying wrench it open. Sarah frantically rose and began banging on the wall where the noise was coming from, desperately hoping it was something friendly on the other side.

Her palm hit an out-jutted rock and burned—there would be a bruise there, she knew—a small shard of sunlight cascading through her fingers. She let out a surprised yelp. She could feel Ludo swaying behind her excitedly, and though her palm ached, she threw her hand on the stones even harder, yelling help at the top of her lungs.

From behind the rock Sarah swore she heard the muffled gruffness of a voice she knew very well. It was the voice which, in her finest moments of foolishness, has warned her against her actions, and many times defended her angry outbursts, agreeing with her justifications. The knob rattled.

"Hoggle?" Sarah questioned, almost silently, unsure if she really could be so lucky as to find both Ludo and Hoggle around the same place at the same time.

"Don't be so happy." She heard him say just before the door burst open and the overwhelming smell of stench smashing her in the face.

* * *

The Bog? The Bog! She was much farther than she had thought then!

"Well missy, you certainly do get into trouble." Hoggle scoffed. Sarah only laughed and threw her hands around her dearest friend. "And I see you found Ludo too. We've been looking for you, you big Lux."

"Oh Hoggle, you have no idea how happy I am to see you." Sarah fell on to her knees to get a better hold of the surprised-looking goblin and planted a large kiss on his check.

"It's nice to see you too, Sarah," he answered, patting her on the back, happy to see her back here, yet cold foreboding solidifying in his stomach, "You smell much better than all of us." It was just then that Sarah realized fully the overwhelming rotten smell flooding around her. She thought tears of happiness had been wetting her eyes, she had been very wrong. It most certainly was the stench of the Bog. Never was she more wistful about just _remembering_ how the Bog smelt, and she remembered it smelling like you'd rather die in the middle of a humid desert with rotting meat and sulfur.

"Hoggle, why are you here?"

"Because that blasted rot-terrier knight of yours tricked me into a chess game. And he thought he was so smart to goat me when Ludo wasn't around to play."

"Diddymus?"

"Yeah, he's over there losing to Ambrosius." Hoggle pointed behind him to a stump-table dwarfed by a glass chess game, Sir Diddymus on one side and his faithful steed on the other. They looked as though they were in such deep concentration that Sarah didn't want to ruin the moment.

"We'll wait till the game's over."

"It'll be over soon, it's not like he can even see the pieces anyway."

That must be why Diddymus had not made a move towards them yet then, it is—after all—quite hard to miss someone as large as Ludo and commotion as loud as Hoggle dislodging a stone door and not all that can be accounted for due to concentration. Sarah and Hoggle moved to walk towards two large rocks to wait out the end of the game when, just as soon as Ludo moved out of the door's range, the large stone slammed back into place, the door know clicking haughtily after the slam. Sir Diddymus' eyes shot up and saw Ludo.

After what seemed an extremely long moment of squinted confusion, the small knight let out a while howl of excitement and rushed towards his large, fuzzy, brother.

"What are you doing here Sarah?" Hoggle asked, knowing it would take those two at least some long minutes before they realized Sarah was next to them as well.

"I made a stupid wish and now Jareth says I must run the Labyrinth again."

"I haven't seen the toe head—"

"You wouldn't. I wished to be somewhere else. That was it."

"Good going."

"I know. And the funny thing is, I don't even know what I'm running for."

"You don't?"

"All I know is Jareth wants me to win. Which means I might as well loose."

Hoggle thought that was probably the best idea Sarah had had, but he really wasn't sure. Jareth was never as predictable as he used to be. After Sarah had gone, Hoggle thought Jareth would have been far crueler, especially to the three who had aided in his loss; instead, he became silent. Most of the Goblins didn't notice, or if they began to, he would put on his old face and dance around with them, but Hoggle—Hoggle had been with the Goblin King forever, Hoggle didn't know a time before always doing Jareth's unfavorable, responsible work—knew, and he wondered if all this new silence was to prove he was more responsible a man than Sarah had rejected. Jareth had even demanded the Goblins stop stealing babies. Well, the person wishing the baby away sincerely had to _mean it_ before the baby could be stolen. It had severely cut down on the enjoyment of all the Goblins.

When Hoggle had told Sarah this, she looked puzzled, a bit of her softened deep inside, Hoggle thought. And **that** was just about as dangerous as Sarah not knowing the rules of running. But before Hoggle was able to warn Sarah, or figure out why she looked like she had the first time she'd seen the fairies outside of the Labyrinth entrance, Sir Diddymus spotted her and let out the second great shriek of the day.

* * *

**AN:** New Chapter! A rather long one too, if I do say so myself. Again, I won't make excuses, I'll just try to keep updating the story as often as I get time to do. Enjoy!


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